MTA Announces Reopening of Bedford Avenue Entrances to Nostrand Avenue AC Subway Station. Reopening Advanced by Assembly Member Tremaine S. Wright and Senator Velmanette Montgomery

February 06, 2020

MTA Announces Reopening of Bedford Avenue Entrances to Nostrand Avenue AC Subway Station

Reopening Advanced by Assembly Member Tremaine S. Wright and Senator Velmanette Montgomery

Station Reopening Will Ease Crowding, Connect Riders to B44 SBS, and Improve Access to Destinations West of Arlington Place 

As Part of Historic 2020-2024 Capital Plan, Nostrand Avenue to Be Made ADA Accessible

MTA New York City Transit today announced it is beginning construction work to reopen the closed Bedford Avenue entrances to the Nostrand Av AC subway station in Brooklyn by the end of the year. The entrances will provide the station with a direct connection to the northbound B44 Select Bus Service, reduce crowding as trains depart from the station, provide a free in-station transfer between the northbound and southbound platforms, and better connect the station with destinations west of Arlington Place. The entrances, at the northeast corner and southeast corner of Bedford Avenue and Fulton Street, are more than 1,000 feet to the west of the currently open entrances at the corners of Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue, or nearly a quarter mile.

Inside the station, workers will scrape and repaint areas of the station that have been closed to the public for more than 30 years, repair and replace tile, rehabilitate stairways, install lighting and turnstiles. On the sidewalk level, workers will install sidewalk entrances in accordance with New York City Transit design standards.  Additionally, the announcement comes as the MTA is undertaking the unprecedented 2020-2024 capital program that is making 70 subway stations accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including Nostrand Avenue.

“Reopening these entrances will increase the capacity of a station where we’ve seen ridership grow by 15 percent in the past decade,” said Sally Librera, Senior Vice President of Subways for MTA New York City Transit. “We are pleased to work with our partners in the legislature – Assembly Member Tremaine S. Wright and Senator Velmanette Montgomery – who have made it possible for us to reopen this entrance and bring so many benefits to our customers. This is the latest in a series of long-closed entrances that we have recently been able to reopen.”

Assembly Member Tremaine S. Wright said: “I am delighted to stand with the MTA, Senator Montgomery and our community partners to announce the much-anticipated re-opening of the second exit at the Nostrand Avenue AC train station. Every day, more than 36,000 people pass through this station and the re-opening of this passage way will alleviate much of the congestion.  We are certain that this will improve the daily experience of subway users as well as enhance safety.”

Senator Velmanette Montgomery said: “This reopening has been a long time coming. The remaining entrances at the Nostrand Avenue AC station have become severely overcrowded and impossible to navigate during rush hours. I thank Assemblywoman Wright for her leadership on this issue and for spearheading the campaign to secure state funding to address this public safety issue. I look forward to our continued partnership with the New York City Transit Authority to address public transportation concerns in our district.” 

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said: “The newly-reopened entrance at Fulton and Bedford will improve accessibility and ease crowding for the over 17,500 commuters using the Nostrand Avenue AC station each day, which is especially critical as the neighborhood continues to grow. I want to thank Assembly Member Wright and Senator Montgomery for securing the necessary funding for the entrance, CB3 for their advocacy, the MTA for its partnership. Steps like these show we are working to improve our transit system to ensure it meets the needs of commuters throughout the borough.”

The Nostrand Av AC station is the 79th busiest station in the subway system, with turnstiles recording approximately 17,500 customers entering each weekday. Average weekday ridership at this station has grown about 15% over the past decade.

MTA New York City Transit has recently opened long-closed or totally new subway entrances:

• The MTA opened an all-new entrance to the 1 Av L station, at Avenue A and E. 14th Street, in November 2019.
• Two entrances at the southern end of the Metropolitan Av G station, at Union Avenue and Hope Street/Powers Street, reopened in February 2019.
• The Seventh Avenue entrance to the 8 Av N station was reopened in February 2019 as part of a station renovation, in February 2019.
• The two entrances at the eastern end of the Hewes St JMZ station, at Broadway and Hewes Street/New Montrose Avenue, reopened in November 2018.
• The two entrances at the eastern end of the Flushing Av JMZ station, at Broadway and Fayette Street, reopened in July 2017.

The entrance was closed more than 30 years ago during a period of concerns about crime.

The project is expected to cost $2 million. Of that total, $1.25 million will come from MTA New York City Transit; $500,000 is being provided by Assembly Member Tremaine Wright; $250,000 is being provided by Senator Velmanette Montgomery.

All work will be performed by New York City Transit staff.